Civil Disorder

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the use of (a) the internet and (b) mobile telephones in (i) disseminating information about and (ii) encouraging participation in recent public disorder; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent discussions she (a) has had and (b) plans to have with the operators of mobile telephone companies on the provision of information to the police about individuals who (i) solicited participation and (ii) participated (A) directly and (B) indirectly in recent public disorder; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what estimate she has made of the number of offenders who (a) solicited participation and (b) participated (i) directly and (ii) indirectly in recent public disorder by use of (A) the internet and (B) mobile telephones; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: It is clear that social networking sites were used to co-ordinate some of the criminality in the disorder in August. We do not have a clear picture of how many of those committing offences made use of such services.
	On 25 August, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), held a constructive meeting with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), the Metropolitan Police Force and representatives from the social media industry. The discussions looked at how law enforcement and the networks can build on existing relationships and co-operation to prevent the networks being used for criminal behaviour.

Civil Disorder

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to review the use of new methods of using mobile technology following the public disorder of August 2011.

Nick Herbert: On 25 August 2011, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), held a constructive meeting with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), the Metropolitan Police Service and representatives from the social media industry. Companies made clear their commitment to removing illegal content and, when appropriate, closing accounts, whether at the request of the police or because of a report from other users. It was agreed to step up co-operation to ensure that these processes are working effectively.
	ACPO is also taking forward work to develop the capability of police forces to use social media as a means of communicating and engaging with communities.

Employment and Support Allowance

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 12 October 2011, Official Report, columns 426-7W, on employment and support allowance, if he will estimate the level of the disregard for (a) personal and (b) occupational pensions in employment and support allowance calculations if the level had been uprated by the consumers price index since 2001; and if he will estimate the financial effect of such uprating on an individual with £110 personal pension and no other income.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is in the following table. Based on the information in the table a person on contributory employment and support allowance with an occupational pension of £110.00 a week would have their benefit reduced by £3.95 a week.
	
		
			 Consumer prices index date Consumer prices index rate of increase (percentage) Benefit year Threshold (£) 
			 September 2000 1.00 April 2001 85.00 
			 September 2001 1.30 April 2002 85.85 
		
	
	
		
			 September 2002 0.90 April 2003 86.95 
			 September 2003 1.50 April 2004 87.75 
			 September 2004 1.10 April 2005 89.05 
			 September 2005 2.40 April 2006 90.05 
			 September 2006 2.40 April 2007 92.20 
			 September 2007 1.70 April 2008 94.40 
			 September 2008 5.20 April 2009 96.00 
			 September 2009 1.10 April 2010 101.00 
			 September 2010 3.10 April 2011 102.10 
			 Note: Benefit rates are normally increased from April each year. The rate of increase is based on the previous September's inflation rate. Contributory employment and support allowance replaced incapacity benefit for new claims from October 2008. Incapacity benefit and employment support allowance have the same threshold for occupational and personal pension income of £85.00 a week.

Air Pollution: Cabinet Committees

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many meetings of the (a) Home Affairs and (b) Economic Affairs Cabinet Sub-Committees have considered the effects of government policy on (i) air quality and (ii) the natural environment since May 2010;
	(2)  which Cabinet Sub-Committees have discussed plans for meeting EU air quality limit values under the Ambient Air Quality Directive.

Richard Benyon: I have been asked to reply.
	In line with the constitutional convention of collective decision-making, and section 2 of the Ministerial Code, the Government do not disclose details of the internal process through which decisions are taken.
	The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), is responsible for air quality (with the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening)) and the natural environment, and sits on the Economic Affairs and Home Affairs Cabinet Committees, where a wide range of issues are discussed.

Mass Media: Young People

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions his Department has had on the negative portrayal of teenagers, including teenage mothers, in the media.

Edward Vaizey: We are committed to a media free from Government intervention. However, while respecting this independence, we continue to look to all media to deal responsibly and sensitively to public concerns about the portrayal of women and young people.
	The UK's media regulatory system is one of the most robust in the world, aiming to strike the right balance between freedom of expression while ensuring media content is acceptable. Under this system, the various bodies which regulate the media have set out a range of controls in relation to discriminatory treatment and the portrayal of women.
	The role the media can play in presenting positive portrayals of women is widely recognised by Government, regulators and media organisations. As part of our consideration of these issues the Violence Against Women and Girls Inter-Ministerial Group recently held a forum, organised with DCMS and chaired by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), to discuss a range of concerns about the representation of women in the media.

Defence

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of (a) the defence estate and (b) military industry in (i) Scotland and (ii) the UK.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) keeps its estate under constant review to meet present and planned future requirements. Surplus assets are disposed of as quickly as possible in accordance with Treasury guidelines. The outcome of the Department's basing review, announced by the previous Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox) on 18 July 2011,
	Official Report
	, columns 643-45, confirmed our intent to continue to drive efficiencies across the whole of the estate.
	Scottish industries, like those across the UK, play a vital role in ensuring our armed forces are equipped with the capabilities they require at reasonable cost to the UK taxpayer.

Alternatives to Prison

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Tooting of 20 June 2011, Official Report, column 112W, on young offenders: alternatives to prison, if he will commission an outcomes evaluation of the Intensive Alternative to Custody pilots.

Crispin Blunt: The MOJ is currently looking at the feasibility of conducting an outcome evaluation of the IAC pilots which would compare reoffending rates for IAC offenders with reoffending rates for similar offenders receiving custodial sentences of less than 12 months. Due to the small number of offenders, there is no intention to disaggregate data for young adults from the other adults that took part in the pilots.
	In July 2011, the MOJ published a short report with the main findings from a range of research exploring the learning from the Intensive Alternatives to Custody (IAC) pilot schemes:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/research-and-analysis/moj/intensive-alternatives-custody.htm
	The process evaluations covering the seven IAC pilot sites are currently being concluded and will be published in due course.

Academies

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether Academies are able to sell assets such as land.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 1 December 2011
	The Funding Agreements with Academies include a requirement that they cannot dispose of assets such as land without first seeking the consent of the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove). In seeking such consent, the Academy Trust would be required to make a business case setting out the reasons for the sale, and the way in which any proceeds will be spent. For example, Academy Trusts and Foundation bodies that hold land for Academies which has been either provided or enhanced at public expense can propose the disposal of that land, where it is in the interests of the education they provide. Requests for consent are currently dealt with by the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA).

Planning: Sculpture

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he will review the effectiveness of the operation of legislation enshrining an artist's moral rights pertaining to site specific sculpture; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has no plans to conduct a review of this issue.

Departmental Press Releases

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2011, Official Report, column 862W, on departmental press releases, what representations his Department has made to those newspapers which broke the embargo by reporting the contents in detail of the speech on intelligence matters on 16 November 2011 before it was delivered.

David Lidington: The full text of the speech was embargoed and this was not broken.

Linda Carty

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to his US counterpart on behalf of Linda Carty; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), wrote to US Secretary of State Clinton in July and November 2010 about Ms Carty's case. Since the UK Government became aware of Ms Carty's case in 2002, officials have maintained regular contact with her, her legal team, her family and the UK non-governmental organisation Reprieve. I met with Jovelle Carty, Linda's daughter, last year. The UK Government have also made their concerns known throughout the legal process and have submitted three amicus curiae briefs to the US courts in relation to the case. The decision on Ms Carty's case is a matter for the Texan authorities. We will continue to raise Ms Carty's case, and the UK's wider opposition to the death penalty, with the Texan authorities and Federal Government.